“In mid-January 2004, members of ASAP were supposed to meet with... Longanecker to discuss (our proposal) on how to adopt more animals out of the facility. Mr. Longanecker agreed to meet with our group (Jan. 12) and then did not show. As a result, former County Chair Kris Cohn had to be consulted to ‘force’ another meeting... Finally, we were able to speak to them (Jan. 19) both to discuss the high animal euthanasia rate (approximately 6,000 are killed every year in this county alone). While our grievance was aired, WCAS policy did not change.”
Longanecker has a different version of events. When TRRT talked to him in September, he said: “We had attempted to set up a luncheon meeting with her [Vayenas] and another member of her group. That was not successful. I had a family emergency. We subsequently met with County Board Chairman Cohn. We met most recently with Chairman [Scott] Christiansen. In the meantime, we have had a couple of meetings, and several members of her ASAP group participated, and her auxiliary board.”
What about the proposal to increase adoptions? “I’ve never had a particular written proposal,” said Longanecker. “Their issues apparently are questioning the number of euthanasias that go on an annual basis. Another point was, the group wanted to take animals from our facility on Saturdays and Sundays out to PETCO on East State Street. The purpose was to try and increase the number of adoptions.”
TRRT: Was there a problem with that?
Longanecker: “Not necessarily a problem. They certainly offered volunteers from their group to assist. We are open here on Saturdays from 10 to 2. The facility at PETCO—they do not have the ability to hold animals overnight. It would necessitate our loading animals here, taking them out to PETCO, and then returning them in the evening.
“PETCO does not have the ability to keep animals overnight. I have met with PETCO on at least two or three occasions. They request we have a minimum of one volunteer for each two animals out there. The difficulty is that, while we can use volunteers to assist in an effort like that, we must decline because of liability issues. Staff from Animal Services must move these animals from our facility on North Main to PETCO and then return them. They have to be put in proper carriers, and these carriers are quite large. The best way to do that would be in an Animal Control vehicle. The issue is that on weekends because of staff [requirements], they do not always have enough vehicles available.
“We are responsible for 500-plus square miles throughout the county. It would require us for animal safety and liability reasons, that we transport animals in a van. We don’t always have people available at those times they would want [the animals] to be transported. In the evening, they close around 6 or 7. If those animals need to be returned, our staff sometimes have only one officer on duty. If the officer was tied up, there would not be any way to transport.
“Ms. Vayenas said they would take them [animals] in their personal vehicles, but they [dogs] will not fit in a personal car. Also, at the time we would return these animals, our kennel staff is gone for the day... they would have to come into the facility, and animals have to be returned to their cages. That presents a problem... I cannot guarantee it—we just don’t have the people. The other issue was, beyond liability—these animals are the property of the county, and there is a lot of paperwork to be filled out when there is an adoption. While these volunteers can be trained to do that, if not done properly, it could present a problem. While the idea certainly has merit, under present staff levels, with our budget for the fall, we just do not have the staff or budget to underwrite this.”
